Secrets of working with drywall from a professional

Recommendation points

• Problem 1. Putty peels off
• Reason 1. Putting putty on a wet sheet
• Reason 2. Using stale or frozen putty
• Reason 3. Oil stains on drywall sheets
• Reason 4. High humidity of the base or sinus between the gypsum board and the wall
• Problem 2. After the installation of lighting fixtures, defects in putty and painting became visible
• Method 1. Shading
• Method 2. Pasting with wallpaper
• Method 3. Complete overlap
• Problem 3. How to hang something on a wall or partition lined with gypsum board
• Method 1. Items of light weight
• Method 2. Items of light weight
• Method 3. Items and things of medium weight
• Method 4. Heavy objects
• Problem 4. How to easily and accurately make a drywall arch
• Problem 5. How to patch holes, gouges, dents or revision holes in drywall

What problems can arise when finishing drywall sheets? How can you fix them? What should be done if the putty peels off or the structure breaks down? What measures should be taken to eliminate defects in the plasterboard finish? How to bend drywall sheets? We will talk about this in our article..

After finishing finishing work on drywall, problems may appear that were not previously known, or the technology was violated through oversight or negligence. In this article, we will consider not the causes of the appearance and elimination of cracks in the gypsum board, but other frequent cases of the manifestation of defects and methods of their correction.

Problem 1. Putty peels off

This phenomenon most often occurs in premises where renovations are performed phenomenally quickly and cheaply. This defect can occur for many reasons..

Reason 1. Putting putty on a wet sheet

At this moment, the cardboard is glued to the fresh putty, at the same time its bond with the filling of the sheet weakens. The sheet can become damp during prolonged improper storage, as well as with a primer (if it is not dried).

Note.There is no need to apply a primer before filling – it weakens the bond between the cardboard and the plaster layer.

How to fix? Clean off any loose areas with a spatula and refill.

Reason 2. Using stale or frozen putty

Sometimes an old one that has lost its properties is added to a fresh high-quality (dry) mixture. This rough move unscrupulous performers can admit in the absence of the customer, which lies entirely on their conscience.

How to fix? See Reason 1.

Reason 3. Oil stains on drywall sheets

The putty can last up to 30 days due to its own bond, and then peels off. Spots of oil products are not primed with anything, these areas are subject to defect identification and removal.

How to fix? Brush off stains to clean plaster. If the area of ​​the stain is large, replace the damaged area.

Reason 4. High humidity of the base or sinus between the gypsum board and the wall

It is accompanied by the appearance of brownish streaks. In this case, most likely, the GKL sheet gets wet through and through..

How to fix? Identify and eliminate the source of dampness, dry and treat with antifungal compounds. Replace the damaged section of the sheet (the frame does not need to be changed).

Problem 2. After the installation of lighting fixtures, defects in putty and painting became visible

This problem occurs when the performer has no skill. In most cases, defects will appear if you simply paint the plastered drywall without gluing the wallpaper. This cheap and quick method is visually good during renovations – everything looks smooth and smooth. But when installing lamps, the light falls differently, and bumps and pits that were previously invisible are often striking..

Advice.To see the defects in advance, bring the lamp to the plane and look parallel to the light – the smallest bumps will be shaded. The lighting should be turned off..

There are several ways to eliminate this effect..

Method 1. Shading

If materials are used expensive or alteration is impossible, defects can be “hidden” in the shade. To do this, select a luminaire that is 50–100 mm away from the ceiling or wall and has a shade, “plate” or reflector on top. The task is to block the access of light to the plane and direct it in the opposite direction. If built-in lights are provided, select a model in which the lamp will be recessed as much as possible and will not go beyond the plane.

Method 2. Pasting with wallpaper

If the quality of the drywall finishing putty does not suit you, and there is no time or energy to bring it to perfection, paintable wallpaper will come to the rescue. There are many of them – thick with patterns, smooth non-woven, vinyl-based, etc. The most effective way to mask surface defects from gypsum plasterboard is “ripple” coating. A fiberglass mesh is best suited for this. After installation, it can be painted with acrylic paint.

Method 3. Complete overlap

In the presence of serious defects along the entire plane of the plasterboard ceiling, you can simply stick the ceiling tiles on top.

Problem 3. How to hang something on a wall or partition lined with gypsum board

When planning a living space, the question always arises of using walls to install decorative elements, furniture, shelves or household appliances. Stone and wood hold the anchor perfectly, but how does drywall handle it? The problem is the main disadvantage of drywall – fragility.

Method 1. Items of light weight

It can be watches, small paintings, ornaments. The self-tapping screw is simply screwed in the right place. Weight limit – 0.5 kg.

Method 2. Items of light weight

Small shelves, large paintings and clocks. There is a special expansion plug for this. To install it in the gypsum board, you need to drill a hole and just insert it there. When screwing in the screw, the back of the plastic dowel is pulled to the back of the sheet and increases the contact area, distributing the load from the screw along the plane. Weight limit – 2 kg.

Method 3. Items and things of medium weight

Bookshelves, hangers, small household appliances. In this case, you may need a more powerful anchor with a plastic dowel. The hole is drilled into the gypsum board and drilled into the load-bearing wall. A dowel with an anchor is inserted there, but it is important to calculate its length in advance. It is better to hang the shelf in a combined way – the upper points with a step of 300 mm on the anchors, and from the bottom to distribute the load – expansion dowels.

Another way is to find the edges of the frame with a magnet and attach the object to them. Weight limit – 5 kg.

Method 4. Heavy objects

Antique clocks, massive decorative elements, hallways, average household appliances. For mounting larger and heavier items, it is wise to transfer their weight to the floor. To do this, we need vertical racks from a board (pre-processed to match the interior). In the upper part, they need to be fixed with anchors to the bearing wall, and in the middle and bottom, it is enough to install expansion dowels. Their task is only to hold the boards next to the wall. Weight limit – 12 kg.

Problem 4. How to easily and accurately make a drywall arch

It should be noted that a drywall sheet has a certain flexibility, which depends on the thickness of the sheet. So, for example, gypsum board with a thickness of 6.5 mm can be bent to a radius of 1 m, a thickness of 9.5 mm – up to 2 m, a thickness of 12.5 mm – up to 2.75 m.

Note.The radius of the correct arch will be equal to half the width of the opening.

It turns out that unprepared drywall is suitable for openings from 2 to 4.5 meters. We will consider the method of bending the gypsum board with a smaller radius – up to 300 mm. The back plane of the arch is visible very well, so it should be as flat as possible. There is an easy way to achieve a smooth bend without having to cross-cut the sheet. It is also suitable for making shapes with multiple curves..

To do this, we perforate the sheet cardboard from the inside with a needle roller or just an awl. This should be done carefully so that the puncture does not reach the middle of the gypsum thickness. Then we moisten this surface with water or a primer and fix it on the finished frame or template. After drying, the sheet will retain its shape.

Problem 5. How to patch holes, gouges, dents or revision holes in drywall

We are not interested in the nature of the appearance of the described defects; only their size is important. We recommend using the special joint fillers Vetonit SILOITE, SheetRock or KNAUF Fugenfuller as a repair mortar:

1. Dents, holes, torn blind scratches are cleaned and putty.
2. Through hole up to 50 mm. On the edges we apply the maximum amount (how much will be kept) of putty, on top we carefully lay a flap of glass mesh 2-3 mm. The size of the flap should cover the hole by 20–30 mm. Smooth the putty into a plane with the wall.
3. Through hole more than 50 mm. We clean and trim the edges. We fix small trims of the rail or profile on the inside of the sheet with a through passage of the self-tapping screw, holding it with your hand through the hole. From them, a support is obtained along the back plane of the wall. We cut out from the gypsum plasterboard a “seal” in the form of an opening so that it can freely enter it. We install the “seal” on the supports and fix them with self-tapping screws. We putty the plane through the masking net.
4. Break. It can have a significant shape and area. First, you should assess the “scale of the disaster” (its area) by removing the unusable parts of the drywall from the frame. Then it is imperative to inspect and test the frame – it may also require repair. After putting the frame in order, we cut the boundaries of the break along the axes of the nearest profiles. If the frame does not have transverse profiles, on the free borders, you should arrange stops described in the installation of “seals” (above), or install additional ribs. Then we fill the resulting opening with gypsum board, observing the usual technology. Fill the seams with a paint net.

As you can see, 90% of drywall problems arise from the brittleness of the hardened gypsum. However, fragility itself is at the same time the main advantage of this material. It is the weak crystal lattice that makes it easy to process, giving the most bizarre shapes.